dreamwalker
by gyoomie
Summary: "So you know of our kind." — in which betrayal, not revenge, is the dish best served cold. ice/fire fantasy au; kaimei.


**[ note ]** i've been meaning to write this for a while now, but then i got busy with school and stuff so by the time i found the time it was alr december omg,, not really my best work since the whole thing was rushed in two sittings + i'm terrible at action sequences – i'm not even sure if i made it in time for it to be my last fic of 2017, oh no,

inspired by a lovely piece of art by askkaimei on tumblr; more notes at the end!

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 **dreamwalker**

 _(burn everything you love  
then burn the ashes)_

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'No. No, this can't be.' Meiko stumbles back. Shakes her head. 'This has to be a mistake.'

This has to be a bad dream – any moment now, everything will melt away and the colours will blur together and she'll be falling, falling, falling, the wind in her ears and the darkness like a curse until Kaito pats her gently to rouse her from sleep, _hey_ , sleepyhead, it's time for you to wake up.

That's right, it's just a bad dream. Meiko closes her eyes, digging her nails into the soft of her palms. _Time to wake up._

The pain that follows, however, is real and heart-breaking.

When she opens her eyes, Kaito is still standing before her, unmoving, the brand of an outlaw stark against his white jacket.

'You... You're a dreamwalker?'

'Well, yes.' The smile he offers her is soft as always, but it lacks its usual warmth. In fact, everything about Kaito – his eyes, his features, his movements – is nothing short of glacial, as if he's turned into an ice sculpture overnight. 'So you know of our kind.'

'It's hard not to.' The Royal Academy had only given one lesson about them, but it was enough: dreamwalkers had a secondary power known as the Gift of Distillation, which allowed them to traverse a person's subconscious without losing themselves in the process. They were banished by the Crymson Kingdom eons ago for harnessing and trafficking 'everdew', an illegal upgrade item that could only be obtained from the subconscious – at the cost of death.

Dreamwalkers were also deemed _highly manipulative_ , Meiko recalls bitterly. Charming, intelligent, and full of untold secrets. She should've known.

'I'm sorry I didn't tell you,' Kaito says. 'But judging from your reaction, I was right not to.'

'Yeah, no – _you should've told me_ , Kaito. You could've put us all in danger!' Meiko tries to rein in her temper, but the sheer lack of _emotion_ in his voice is really starting to piss her off. 'You're the student apprentice for the _Royal Guard_ , for fuck's sake! There aren't any official records as it is – what if you hurt someone? What if you hurt our friends, or god forbid, _the Queen?_ What if – '

She cuts herself off, the gears in her mind slowly clicking into place. There aren't any records of the Gift of Distillation, _yes_ , but it's not that hard to figure out what it entails. Dreamwalkers, naturally, navigate the subconscious through the use of dreams.

And she's been having a _lot_ of trouble sleeping recently.

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' _You're working too hard, Mei-chan, it's no good for your body! Here – use my lap as a pillow for a bit! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, heheh.'_

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'It was you,' Meiko realises. 'The weird lapses in my memory, the fainting spells, the – the fact that you were _always there_ somehow whenever I collapsed – _it was you_. It was you all along.'

Kaito doesn't even try to defend himself in the face of her accusations. 'You're the daughter of the Royal Advisor, as well as the childhood friend of Lady Miku, the next-in-line for the throne. You know a lot of things that most people don't.'

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' _You know you can trust me, right, Mei-chan? I won't hurt you. I promise.'_

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'So, what? _That_ gives you permission to dig around in my head while I'm asleep?' Meiko demands. Her hands are shaking; her mind, reeling. 'Was that your plan all along? Befriending me, getting close to me' – _making me fall in love with you_ – 'all just to look at my personal memories, to steal _classified information?_ '

It was all a lie. The simmer of rage in her chest bubbles and boils and burns; the recipe for a disaster in the making. He never meant anything he said – he was just pretending to be nice to her, _using_ her, _treating her like a fool_. It was all a lie.

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' _Mei-chan...'_

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'That was the gist of it, yes,' Kaito says, dismissive, almost bored. 'We were never close, anyway, so it's not that big of a deal.'

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' _...I love you.'_

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 _IT WAS ALL A LIE!_

Meiko lets out an ear-piercing scream, setting off an explosion and sending a shockwave throughout the area. The surface of the ground cracks, cratering under the impact, and Kaito disappears into the debris.

'Not that big of a deal? _Not that big of a deal?!_ '

Chest heaving and vision blurring, Meiko scans her surroundings until she finally detects a warm presence nearby, struggling to stand and well-hidden by the veil of smoke. She charges forward, slamming into him with a battle cry and everything she's got.

'I TRUSTED YOU, DAMMIT! WE ALL TRUSTED YOU!'

Kaito tumbles to the ground once more, winded, his pristine appearance finally dishevelled thanks to the cuts and bruises that litter his form. Meiko concentrates for a moment to set fire to her clenched fists, raising them higher, higher, higher, bringing them down for the finishing blow –

But he rolls away just in time, leaving nothing but scorch marks at her feet.

'YOU"RE JUST A FUCKING _BASTARD!_ '

'Now, now, language.' _Punch_ , miss. _Kick_ , miss. _Punch_ , miss. 'Anyway, this is simply a waste of time and energy. You and I both know how this ends.'

' _SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!_ '

Meiko takes another hard swing at him, but he's ready for her this time: Kaito catches her punch easily, calm and unwavering despite the hiss of melting ice coming from his gloved hand. She may have the elemental advantage with her Gift, but Kaito's always been the better strategist in their sparring sessions.

' _Let go of me_ ,' she snarls, sounding more like a pained sob. She thrashes against him, struggling to break free. ' _LET GO OF ME, YOU LIAR!_ '

'My, my. Did you really think I loved you?' Meiko cries out when he tightens his grip, allowing tiny shards of ice to crystallise over her hands, her wrists, her arms, spreading to the rest of her body. 'Oh, no – I didn't. _I never did_.'

She glares at Kaito through her tears, shaking, shaking, shaking, knowing full well that her Gift has little effect on the ice he produces, which can – _and will_ – kill her. This isn't a bad dream; this is reality, a waking nightmare that she can't wake up from.

As the ice slowly encases her in a trap, sealing her fate, the last thing Meiko sees is the blue of his eyes: the darkest of winters, and long gone.

'Sweet dreams, Meiko.'

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'Well _done_ , Kaito,' a silky voice coos, just before a figure appears behind him, shrouded in shadows. She takes a step forward, revealing curling green hair and fey-sharp features. 'You got rid of the fiery nuisance! I'm _so proud_ of you.'

'Thank you, Mistress Gumi.' Kaito stares down at his handiwork with a blank expression. 'What should I do with her now?'

Gumi taps her chin, pretending to think hard. 'Hm... it would be a terrible waste to let her die, don't you think? I mean, there's still some perfectly good everdew in that big brain of hers.' She clicks her fingers. 'Take the girl – _Meiko_ , was it? – to the lab.'

Something in Kaito's eyes flickers: the fleeting glimpse of light despite the bleak winter cold. His lips part for a moment, a familiar nickname on the tip of his tongue.

 _Mei-chan..._

'Yes, Mistress Gumi.'

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 **end.**

 **[ note ]** some extra info:

\- crymson kingdom = crypton + crimson. i'm lame i know  
\- meiko: gift of ignition  
\- kaito: gift of crystallisation + gift of distillation (DW ability)  
\- gumi: gift of illusion

perception = DWs are manipulative and abused their power  
reality = DWs are peaceful healers who were brainwashed into participating in gumi's everdew trafficking ring. a lot of them died in the process, but kaito is one of the remaining few

everything else is up to your interpretation :3c


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